Johnny Fields D12 Emmons

[Jack Selover]

I worked with Johnny a number of times...
I worked with him at the 505 in Des Moines and when Ronnie Fiscal got a band together for DJ Mike Hoyer at WHO he also hired Johnny to play steel and spanish guitar (John had a Fender) .....
I could tell stories all day long about Johnny Fields..But one thing I don't think most people know is that Johnny was also a successful song writer ......I was driving him to work one night (in 1963) at the 505 and Mel Tellis came on the radio with "Roses Are Red" Violets Are Blue and Johnny said (to no one in particular) "thank you" then went on to explain he co-wrote the song and that everytime his song was played on the radio he got a small residual every time it was played....
That was the first time I had ever heard of that....
Before tuners became common, John used to tune ALL the instruments in the band so they'd all be tuned by the same "ear."
John was 'one of a kind' .....
Jack Selover


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[Ray Riley]

Did hell freeze over. Jack My dear friend it is about time these guys heard from you. You have been working on a book for 35 years, and if you don't hurry up I will die before it's done. love ya pal Raymond Joseph Riley JR. Jack plays DRUMS, guitar,bass, and Mary.

[Dave Ristrim]

Please keep the interesting Johnny Fields stories coming. Thanks again for all who have chimed in.

[Ernest Cawby]

I bought s tuner from you some long time back.
I did this behind the bar thing some when I played on the Hayride in 1949, behind Sammy , but have not done it in recent years just forgot about it. May try it again.

ernie

[Jack Selover]

At this time I am eagerly waiting for the final manuscript from Walt Trott on my book "Little Known Facts About Country Music." Walt is my publisher and editor and I've been told Walt goes over the books he edits with a fine tooth comb, so I want him to take all the time he wants to......

Walts credits are impecable. He is still the editor of the Nashville Musicians Local 275 newspaper and was the entertainment editor for Stars and Stripes in Europe....

After 35 years of research I still find a mistake here and there but worked hard to make sure every bit of information was verified, checked and rechecked....

I've been in contact and working with Ms. Ruth White who has been active in the music business for many years and her husband was a song plugger and Hank Snows steel player....

There are over 600 paragraphs of information is this book .....

I know a lot of you who have also been associated with this thing we love and call counrty music will find the book interesting and informative.....

I'm Jack Selover and can be reached at
Johnselover@sbcglobal.net

Thanks

[Doug Palmer]

I put a pick up at the nut on one of my guitars and ran it thru a second amp. It gives a counter point to what you play on the regular pick up. Sounded really cool in some keys but really bad in some keys. I took it off, it was too weird for some of the singers.

Doug

[Dave Ristrim]

Doug, the nut pickup does need to used sparingly. Great for certain effects etc. but awful for some other things. I'm still experimenting with it.

[Jack Hanson]

John was 'one of a kind' ...

My sentiments exactly. I knew Johnny Fields, although not well. I ran into him from time to time at both Rog Suneson's and Clem Schmitz's establishments, and provided transportation for him at times, since the State of Minnesota wisely would not issue him a drivers license. John worked for years as an engineer at KSTP radio/television on the border of Mpls & St Paul, and rode the bus most everywhere he went.

[Johnny Cox]

I remember that guitar. Buddy loaned it to me for a while when he was done playing with it.

[Dave Ristrim]

Hi Johnny, so Buddy Emmons ordered this guitar but decided not to keep it? That's the story I heard. He got it after the basket weave S12 used on the "rainbow" album and let Mr. Fields buy it?
I think it had 10knees and 10 pedals on it when I got it. I redid the undercarriage to 9&9 like my other D12's. It's a heavy beast!

[Jack Hanson]

Hi Johnny, so Buddy Emmons ordered this guitar but decided not to keep it? That's the story I heard. He got it after the basket weave S12 used on the "rainbow" album and let Mr. Fields buy it?

I'm fairly certain Johnny Fields purchased the guitar from Clem Schmitz when Clem had his store on West Lake Street in Minneapolis during the late '70s or early '80s. Clem's sticker is shown in this thread's original photo on the pedalbar beneath the first pedal. Most likely Clem got the guitar from Buddy, as they were friends. Ernie Renn would most likely know.

[Dave Ristrim]

Ah, that makes sense. I left the sticker on the pedal bar and the name on the front to keep the history intact. I may sell it as I don’t use it much anymore.

[Jack Hanson]

What I remember about that guitar was when Johnny had E write his name on the keyhead endplate with an electric pencil at a show that Clem Schmitz put on in Mpls.

As Mike knows, Clem brought Buddy up to the Twin Cities a number of times before he -- and a large segment of the Mpls/St Paul steel community (Mike included) -- decamped to Nashville. In at least one of those shows at the Golden Valley House, John played bass in the pickup band that backed Buddy on his Fender Bass VI. In addition to his strong opinions and seldom mincing his words, Johnny Fields was a helluva musician.

[Mike Holder]

Another very audible track that " ascending/ descending " lick can be heard is the white album on the song "Top Heavy" That He & Jimmie Crawford wrote

[Dave Ristrim]

I was just reading through this thread and saw Ernie's post about the D-12 basket weave Emmons. Guess what? I own that one as well as the rosewood D-12. I bought the basket weave at the steel guitar store in Goodletsville, TN sometime around '89 or '90.

[Gary Spaeth]

Johnny had a column in Countryside magazine that was published in the twin cities area where he critiqued steel guitar records. i took some lessons where he showed me a loyd greene and a mooney lick i still use. cool guy.